Building Momentum for Change: How Local and Incremental Policy Campaigns Contribute to Statewide Victories

Here at the Equality Federation Institute, we know that local and incremental work matters. That’s why we began an investigation into the impact these campaigns have on our movement.

We interviewed state and national leaders who have been engaged with efforts to secure municipal nondiscrimination ordinances, LGBT-inclusive school district policies, and executive orders protecting our community. We talked to them about why and how they did this work, and we asked about the effect it had on their organizations, their communities, and their states.

During all of our conversations, one message became increasingly clear: local and incremental work drives our movement forward.

It provides opportunities to engage in positive, productive public education; to establish facts that make creating a case for further legislation easier; to create political momentum; and to build the capacity of our movement organizations. And most importantly, this work helps us to enact real protections for LGBT people who need them.

Made possible by support from Gill Foundation and written by three Federation staff members — Fran Hutchins, Ian Palmquist, and Jace Woodrum — Building Momentum for Change carefully considers the power of local and incremental campaigns, making a strong case for doing and funding this work. The report also offers recommendations for movement leaders to ensure that these efforts avoid a number of common pitfalls.

At the end of the day, Building Momentum for Change is about a movement: a movement that started with incredible acts of courage outside a bar in New York City and has grown into an unstoppable force for fairness and equality.

I hope you’ll read it and share it with others who are interested in understanding how our movement became what it is today.